Willard Brown vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison
Paul Waner has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Willard Brown played 1947–1948 as a hitter; Paul Waner played 1926–1945 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Willard Brown (1947–1948) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willard Brown finished with 643 hits and 63 home runs; Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Paul Waner, with 113 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willard Brown, with .985 to Paul Waner's .878.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willard Brown, with .354 to Paul Waner's .333.
- Who had more hits? Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Willard Brown's 643.
- Who drove in more runs? Paul Waner, with 1,309 to Willard Brown's 432.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Paul Waner, with 40,296 career PIV to Willard Brown's 11,037.
- Who won more championships? Willard Brown, with 1 World Series title to Paul Waner's 0.
Willard Brown
Paul Waner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willard Brown and Paul Waner. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1940s and the 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Willard Brown | Paul Waner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 473 | Leads: 2,549 |
| At-Bats | 1,818 | Leads: 9,459 |
| Runs | 368 | Leads: 1,627 |
| Hits | 643 | Leads: 3,152 |
| Doubles | 139 | Leads: 605 |
| Triples | 46 | Leads: 191 |
| Home Runs | 63 | Leads: 113 |
| RBI | 432 | Leads: 1,309 |
| Walks | 137 | Leads: 1,091 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 16 | 376 |
| Stolen Bases | 95 | Leads: 104 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .354 | .333 |
| On-Base % | .400 | Leads: .404 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .585 | .473 |
| OPS | Leads: .985 | .878 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Willard Brown 40,296 to 11,037 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,832 PIV per season to 788, across 22 seasons to 14. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Willard Brown
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Paul Waner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Willard Brown owns batting average and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Paul Waner. PIV agrees: Paul Waner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Willard Brown and Paul Waner careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Paul Waner's ended in 1945, and Willard Brown debuted in 1947. The table compares 473 games of Willard Brown with 2,549 of Paul Waner across 14 and 22 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Where Willard Brown comes out ahead, it is in batting average (.354 to .333), slugging percentage (.585 to .473), and OPS (.985 to .878). At the plate, Willard Brown walked more often than struck out (137 walks, 16 strikeouts), and Paul Waner walked more often than struck out (1,091 walks, 376 strikeouts).
Willard Brown vs Paul Waner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willard Brown or Paul Waner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Paul Waner leads Willard Brown in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willard Brown or Paul Waner hit more home runs?
- Paul Waner, with 113 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willard Brown, with .985 to Paul Waner's .878.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willard Brown, with .354 to Paul Waner's .333.
- Who had more hits?
- Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Willard Brown's 643.